Night at the Fiestas: Stories

Set in Northern New Mexico, an astonishing, beautifully rendered debut about living in a landscape shaped by love, loss, and violence. With intensity, dark humor, and emotional precision, Kirstin Valdez Quade's unforgettable stories plunge us into the fierce, troubled hearts of characters torn between their desires to escape the past and to plumb its depths.

National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize

The John Leonard award, honoring a founding member who reveled in discovering new voices (he was the first to champion the work of Toni Morrison, Mary Gordon, Maxine Hong Kingston and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, among others) was created in 2013 to honor a first book in any genre. It is the only NBCC award chosen by a direct vote of all NBCC members. Previous winners include Anthony Marra, for his novel A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, and Phil Klay, for his story collection Redeployment. This year's award went to Kirstin Valdez Quade, for her story collection A Night at the Fiesta.